2012-04-27
Explanation
This comic parodies the Batman franchise'''s tradition of Batman having a gadget for every situation, no matter how absurd. The Joker announces his villainous plan: "I'''ve trapped Vicki Vale in a titanium cage, where she'''s about to run out of oxygen! Time to cry, Batman!" The Joker'''s taunt is specifically designed to cause Batman emotional distress -- Vicki Vale is his love interest, and the trap seems inescapable.
Batman responds with his trademark confidence: "Nice try, Joker! I'''ve got a gadget for that!" The reader expects some clever titanium-cutting device or oxygen-delivery system, but the second panel reveals that Batman is reaching for "Bat Xanax" from his utility belt. Rather than solving the crisis, Batman'''s "gadget" is an anti-anxiety medication -- he is not going to rescue Vicki Vale, he is just going to chemically prevent himself from crying about it. The joke subverts the expectation that Batman always has the right tool by giving him a tool that addresses the Joker'''s challenge in the most literal and least heroic way possible.
The votey panel shows someone (likely Weinersmith himself) thinking, "I wonder if lithium would fix the Joker..." This extends the comic'''s joke about treating superhero/supervillain conflicts as mental health issues rather than action scenarios. Lithium is a mood stabilizer commonly used to treat bipolar disorder, and the suggestion that the Joker'''s villainy could be resolved with proper psychiatric medication is both funny and a wry commentary on how comic book characters''' behavior would be viewed through a modern clinical lens.